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Crookston campus credits marketing and student-success work for enrollment rebound
Summary
Chancellor Mary Holz Clause and Sue Erickson told Regents Crookston's degree-seeking and non-degree enrollment is improving after pandemic lows, citing data-driven recruitment, targeted marketing, PSEO enrollment and retention initiatives as drivers; presenters noted marketing budget constraints that limit competitiveness.
Chancellor Mary Holz Clause and Sue Erickson told the Mission Fulfillment Committee that the University of Minnesota Crookston has seen enrollment gains after COVID and is "cautiously optimistic" about continuing that trend. Presenters said degree-seeking and non-degree-seeking student counts have risen since 2022 and that recent, targeted marketing and internal staffing investments are producing increased website traffic, applications and enrollments.
Presenters described the campus's recruitment mix: a substantial non-degree cohort composed largely of dual-credit and PSEO high-school students; roughly 150 students enrolled through an employer tuition-benefit partnership with Guild (listed employer partners include Target, Tesla and Tyson Foods); and growing online business and accounting majors. Crookston's presenters tied retention gains to participation in a student success academy, a new first-year experience course, academic- and wellness-care teams, a shift to test-blind admission evaluation emphasizing high school GPA and course rigor, and hands-on learning experiences.
Speakers offered a numeric projection for fall 2025 degree-seeking enrollment of about 1,830 students and said on-campus headcount was expected in the mid-700s (presenters recorded "725 to 730"). They described online enrollment as continuing steady growth and indicated an online cohort that could reach about 1,100 students; the transcript contained a lower-bound figure that was unclear and therefore is not restated here. Presenters cautioned that limited recurring marketing dollars leave Crookston at a competitive disadvantage against state and out-of-state institutions unless sustained investment continues.
Regents asked about PSEO trends and the VetFast veterinary track; presenters said most non-degree students are high-school dual-credit students from primarily rural districts, many PSEO online students later attend other University of Minnesota campuses, and that 4 to 5 students in the VetFast program had progressed toward veterinary-school admission. Chancellor Mary Holz Clause and Sue Erickson said pathway partnerships and articulation agreements are being expanded to improve matriculation into Crookston's four-year programs.
The presenters asked the committee for suggestions on identifying niche markets and on sustaining recruitment investments; the committee moved on to the Rochester campus update after Q&A.
